Security Fastener

ABSTRACT

A security slider for a zip fastener which prevents or severely restricts unauthorised access to the contents of an item which is closed by the zip fastener. This is achieved by a lateral blocking member attached to the slider. A zip fastener incorporating the slider and a suitcase or bag incorporating the zip fastener are also provided.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to fastening products and especially a security fastener. In particular, the present invention relates to a slider for a security fastener.

Conventional fasteners known in the art which can be repeatedly opened and closed, include zip fasteners.

One type of zip fastener employs a system of longitudinally-oriented opposing tracks made up of numerous inter-latchable teeth aligned along each track, each tooth possessing a hook and a hollow. The primary concept behind such zipper systems is to latch every hook on one track into a complementary hollow on a tooth positioned on an opposing track. This is achieved by means of a slider which possesses a wedge-shaped interior configuration and which is situated on an opposing set of tracks so that the tracks may run through the slider.

When run along the tracks in one direction (ie, a leading direction), the slider by virtue of its interior configuration brings the opposing tracks together to form an array of inter-latched teeth, whereby the opposing tracks become linked together. To unlatch the inter-latched teeth, the slider possesses an internal upright divider. When the slider is run along the tracks in the opposite direction, the divider physically disrupts the latching arrangement of the hooks and hollows to separate the adjacent tracks once again.

Systems like this have been particularly useful in providing a practical and efficient means for opening and closing an opening in a particular item. Accordingly, zippers of this kind have become ubiquitous for a range of uses in clothing, luggage, handbags, food and drink storage containers, tents and other camping equipment, aviation-related uses (air freight/cargo), etc, and are well known to the person skilled in the art.

Zippers with alternative modes of operation arc also known which may be termed in the art as zip-lock fasteners. These also employ a system of opposing tracks, the tracks bearing a set of ridges defining a longitudinal depression therebetween, the longitudinal depression being suited for receiving and retaining a single complementary longitudinal ridge situated on another track. Thus, it is possible to join the opposing tracks together and create an often air-tight seal in a bag or other container with a zip-lock fastener system.

Separation of the tracks can be simply achieved by manually pulling the tracks apart. The tracks are often manufactured from a flexible plastics material and can be brought together manually by a user employing his fingers to push the tracks together, or by a slider similar to that used in the hook and hollow zipper system described above. Such zippers find particular use in food storage and the storage of valuable items such as money.

Often a situation, arises where there is a need to secure a fastener such as a zipper. In particular, there is a need to prevent a situation where the zipper can be easily tampered with, thereby allowing access to the contents of a container comprising a zip fastener by an unauthorised person. A particular example of this might be an air traveller's personal luggage, such as a suitcase or other travel bag, which the traveller checks in prior to travelling on an aircraft. In this situation, the traveller no longer has supervision of their luggage and therefore becomes vulnerable to a third party tampering with their luggage and gaining access to valuable contents, which may be stolen or damaged.

Alternatively, and an issue of topical relevance, is that unauthorised access may result in items such as narcotics or an explosive device being placed in the luggage or travel bag without the traveller's knowledge. The traveller then inadvertently becomes a carrier for such items. This may have dire consequences when one considers the punishments served in many countries for narcotics possession or the potentially lethal consequences of a mid-air explosion on an aircraft.

In known hook and hollow-type zipper systems employing two or more sliders (located on, eg, a piece of luggage), often the sliders are positioned next to one another on the tracks when the zip fastener is in a closed position. Even when the sliders are touching one another in the closed position, there will normally be at least some (although normally very few) interlatchable members (teeth) which remain unlatched in the area either side of the leading portion of the sliders. In these known systems, the sliders often have longitudinal tabs attached which arc supplied with holes for threading a locking device to keep the sliders together., This has the aim of preventing an unauthorised person from opening the zip fastener. The locking device is often a standard key or combination operated lock, which is placed through the holes present on the slider tabs.

It has, however, been found in such known arrangements that lateral opening of the zip fastener is possible by the simple application of lateral force adjacent to the location of the slider in a perpendicular manner to the longitudinal orientation of the tracks. This often results in the tracks of teeth being fed through the sliders in the direction of the opposing slider. This undoes the latching of the hooks and hollows, and thus creates an opening in the fastener defined by an edge of the two sliders and the unlatched tracks of teeth. From this opening items may be withdrawn from or inserted in a bag or suitcase or the like. The zip fastener can then be closed by the application of longitudinal force in a pulling motion along the direction of the tracks, thereby re-latching the hooks and hollows. It thus becomes unapparent that the zip fastener has been tampered with. A schematic representation of this problem is shown at FIG. 1. of the drawings and is described in further detail below.

Accordingly, a need has arisen for a security fastener preventing the unauthorised tampering and opening of a zip fastener when it is in a locked position.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

According to the present invention, there is provided:

a slider for opening and closing a zip fastener which comprises a pair of opposing tracks bearing inter-latchable members,

the slider being adapted for locking with a second slider when the zip fastener is in a substantially closed position,

the slider comprising one or more lateral blocking members,

wherein in a locked position with a second slider, the one or more lateral blocking members provide a physical barrier to restrict or prevent lateral opening of the zip fastener.

Further according to the invention there is provided a zip fastener comprising the slider of the invention.

Even further according to the invention, there is provided a bag comprising a slider or zip fastener according to the invention. Preferably, the bag will be a suitcase, handbag, money pouch, purse, wallet, travel bag or the like.

In the present invention, the provision of a lateral blocking member in combination with first and second sliders locked together restricts or prevents the movement of the tracks through the slider when a lateral pulling force is applied to a zip fastener.

This is because by providing a physical barrier, the blocking member or members restrict or prevent unlatched tracks of inter-latchable members from emerging from the slider laterally to the longitudinal direction of the tracks. The barrier is an at least partly-enclosed space defined by the interior wall or walls of the blocking member(s) and the slider(s). When lateral force is applied to the zip fastener, if not already occupied by the existing unlatched inter-latchable members already present, this space may readily become occupied by a small number of additional unlatched members. Thus a situation arises which offers no room to receive additional numbers of inter-latchable members. Hence, as there is no scope for further inter-latchable members to pass unlatched through the slider, the slider becomes jammed in place, irrespective of the extent of externally applied lateral force.

Accordingly, an opening between the sliders does not form which could be exploited by an unauthorised user. It should be further noted that when the slider is unlocked from another slider, the provision of the lateral sliding member does not disrupt the normal functioning of the zip fastener.

Preferably, the slider according to the invention has a single lateral blocking member which extends laterally from the slider. The single lateral blocking member is preferably shaped to complement a single blocking member on an opposing slider so that a pair of such sliders can be used together in a good fit to optimise the blocking effect of the lateral blocking members. Particularly preferably, in these embodiments the lateral blocking member is formed as a single unit with the slider. Hence, the sliders can be manufactured as a single unit made from a metallic, plastics or other suitable material.

Alternatively, the slider may comprise two sides and two lateral blocking members which extend laterally from each side of the slider. The two lateral blocking members on a slider are optionally shaped to complement two lateral blocking members on an opposing slider so that a pair of such sliders can be used together in a good fit to optimize the blocking effect of the lateral blocking members, Particularly preferably, in this embodiment of the invention, the two lateral blocking members are formed as a single unit with the slider. Alternatively, a slider with two lateral blocking members according to the invention could have lateral blocking members shaped for use with a standard slider.

Preferably, the slider possesses a leading end portion, wherein a lateral blocking member protrudes forward of the leading end portion in a leading direction, the leading direction corresponding to the direction of movement of the slider during the closing of the zip fastener.

Furthermore, preferably the lateral blocking member is a plate adapted for blocking the lateral movement of a, track bearing interlatchable members. Preferably, the plate comprises a lip arranged perpendicular to an outer edge of the plate. The lip is preferably shaped to engage the tracks so as to block the lateral movement of the track or tracks.

Particularly preferably, the plate comprises an upper surface lying substantially co-planar with an upper surface of the slider, optionally with a first lip being attached to the upper surface of the plate in a substantially perpendicular downward projecting manner, with optionally a second lip being attached to the first lip in a substantially perpendicular manner projecting towards the slider. The purpose of the plate and first and second lips being to engage and block the movement of any tracks bearing inter-latchable members (teeth) in a lateral direction. The lateral blocking member may also be substantially co-planar with the tracks bearing inter-latchable members.

Alternatively, the plate may be arranged in an angular downward projecting orientation from an upper portion of the slider. The angle (a) defined between the plate and the slider may be from 10 to 90°. Particularly preferred is an angle (α) from 30° to 60°. Angular orientation of the lateral blocking member in this manner is particularly preferred when the lateral blocking member comprises a single plate.

The slider may also comprise a handle tab, which may be adapted for receiving a locking means. This allows the user to manually slide the slider by pulling on the tab in order to open and close the zip fastener.

The lateral blocking member may adopt any one of a number of shapes and configurations. These may be crescent-shaped, arcuate, semi-circular, semi-ellipsoid or the like.

Although the present invention primarily relates to zippers of the hook and hollow type, it will be understood by the person skilled in the art that the present invention can apply to any fastening arrangement, comprising a series of tracks which employs a slider to facilitate the joining of the tracks.

The sliders of the present invention may be manufactured from any material which is suitable for incorporating in conventional hook and hollow zipper arrangements. The choice of material will also be dictated by the intended use. That is, for example, sliders in zip fasteners for heavy fabrics will normally be manufactured from metal, while sliders in zip fasteners for light fabrics will normally be manufactured from a soft, flexible plastics material. In any case, the slider will normally be moulded or cast. Typically, the metallic material will be brass, nickel or aluminum and the plastics material will be polyester, polyvinyl chloride (PVC) or nylon. However, other suitable materials will be readily known to the person skilled in the art.

The zip fasteners according to the present invention may find utility in a wide range of applications including in personal luggage such as suitcases or other travel bags, airport cargo, food storage, clothing, tents, caravan and campervan vehicles, the automotive industry and the like.

Preferably, the zip fastener according to the invention comprises opposing tracks bearing inter-latchable members mounted on an elongated tape, and one or more sliders adapted for opening and closing the zip fastener. Particularly preferably, the zip fastener further comprises a detachable locking means.

Further according to the invention there is provided a slider for opening and closing a zip fastener substantially as herein described with reference to FIGS. 2 to 4 of the drawings,

Even further according to the invention, there is provided a zip fastener substantially as herein described with reference to FIGS. 2 to 3 of the drawings.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention is now illustrated with reference to (although not limited to) the following Figures of the accompanying drawings:

FIG. 1A shows a plan schematic view of a zip fastener known in the art comprising a pair of sliders locked together in a closed position (locking device used to lock the sliders not shown for clarity), x, y and z axes are shown, whereby x defines the axis of the sliding motion of the slider, the y-axis is perpendicular to the x-axis in the same plane, and the z axis is perpendicular to the plane defined by the x- and y-axes (xy plane).

FIG. 1B shows a plan schematic view of the zip fastener of FIG. 1A in an open position with the sliders still being locked.

FIG. 1C shows a plan schematic view of the zip fastener of FIG. 1A in its transition from the open position of FIG. 1B to the closed position of FIG. 1A.

FIG. 2 shows a plan schematic view of a zip fastener according to the present invention in (A) a resting mode and (B) with the application of lateral force.

FIGS. 3(I) to 3(IV) show a cross-sectional view of four embodiments of sliders according to the present invention taken in the yz plane.

FIGS. 4(I) to 4(IV) show plan views of four embodiments of sliders according to the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIGS. 1A to 1C demonstrate how a zip fastener known in the art which is attached to a bag may be tampered with by an unauthorised person.

With reference to FIG. 1A, there is shown a typical zip fastener 1 known in the art. Zip fastener 1 comprises a tape 2 attached to a substrate 3 (shown by shaded portion). Tape 2 comprises a plurality of teeth (not shown) arranged in an aligned manner along an edge represented by rows 4. Tape 2 is attached to substrate 3 normally by sewing or welding. Substrate 3 is normally a cloth material such as that belonging to a bag.

The teeth of tape 2 are adapted to inter-latch with complementary teeth on an opposing tape 2 by means of a hook and hollow arrangement. Such hook and hollow arrangements are well known in the art.

In an open position of the zip fastener 1, rows 4 remain separated. In a closed position, rows 4 inter-latch to form a single row of latched teeth represented as row 5. Sliders 6 are adapted to slide along rows 5 in a longitudinal direction (along the direction of the x-axis) and comprise a wedge-shaped internal structure (not shown). In the open position the sliding motion of slider 6 forces the teeth of opposing rows 4 together into a latching arrangement thus resulting in the zip fastener 1 becoming closed. Slider 6 also possesses a leading portion 7 which has an internally positioned central divider (not shown) for unlatching the latched teeth. By sliding slider 6 in the opposite direction, the zip fastener 1 reverts to an open position.

It should be noted that where two or more sliders are employed, the sliders can be locked together either through a locking device built into the slider, or through a lock such as a key-operated or combination lock looped through a suitable hole present on the sliders. For this, the slider may have a tab (not shown) possessing a hole attached. The tab may also be an effective handle for a user to apply a pulling motion to slide slider 6 back and forth along row 5.

When two sliders 6 are brought together to bring the zip fastener 1 into a closed position, there will normally remain small segments of rows 4 (cg, approximately 5 to 20 pairs of inter-latchable teeth) which have not become inter-latched. These rows 4 become splayed and expand in an approximately arcuate manner laterally from the longitudinal direction of the closed rows 5 and the sliding direction of the slider. Thus, the boundary defined by the leading portions 7 and the rows 4 provides a small opening 8 in the zip fastener.

With reference to FIG. 1B, the problem with known zip fasteners of the type described for FIG. 1A is clearly demonstrated.

In a substantially closed zip fastener 1 (ie, as in FIG. 1A), upon the application of lateral force (represented by large arrows) along a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of rows 4 (represented by the y-axis), the inter-latched teeth can be fed through sliders 6 in the direction of the x-axis (represented by small arrows), resulting in the inter-latched teeth becoming unlatched. The continued application of lateral force thus creates a significantly larger opening 9 (cf, opening 8 of FIG. 1A) which can permit access to the contents of a bag or suitcase to which the zip fastener 1 is attached. Alternatively, undesirable objects may be placed in the bag or suitcase.

With reference to FIG. 1C, once a person has tampered with the zip fastener 1, a pulling motion can be applied along the longitudinal axis of rows 5 (represented by bold arrows) so that the opening 9 can be closed. Rows 5 are fed back through sliders 6 and become re-latched. When this occurs, it is not apparent that the zip fastener 1 has indeed been tampered with.

With reference to FIG. 2, there is shown at diagram (A) a zip fastener 10 incorporating a pair of sliders 11 both according to the present invention. Each slider 11 possesses a single lateral blocking member 12 which acts in a complementary manner to fit with the other slider 11.

The features of the zip fastener 10 are substantially identical to those described for FIG. 1A. However, as mentioned, incorporated with zip fastener 10 is slider 11 which possesses a lateral blocking member 12 extending from the side of slider 11. The lateral blocking member is a plate protruding from the side of slider 11 and which optionally possesses a lip (not shown) around its outer edge which projects downwards in a perpendicular manner (ie, along the xz plane) towards the tape 2.

In a similar manner to that described for FIG. 1A, rows 4 are splayed in an approximately arcuate manner laterally from the longitudinal direction of the inter-latched rows 5. Rows 4 are contained within the boundary of lateral blocking members 12 and the leading portions 7 of sliders 11. For the purposes of clarity in FIG. 2, an area between leading portions 7 is cut way for viewing convenience. Furthermore, the leading portions 7 of sliders 10 are depicted spaced slightly apart for clear viewing purposes.

At diagram (B), in a substantially closed zip fastener arrangement 10, upon the application of force along a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of rows 5 (represented by bold arrows), the inter-latched teeth cannot be fed, or can only be initially fed to a marginal extent, through sliders 11. Thus the rows 4 cannot be pulled apart as lateral blocking members 12 provide a physical barrier to prevent the rows 4 from occupying any more of the space defined by leading portions 7 and lateral blocking members 12. This effect is accentuated by the typically rigid nature of rows of the inter-latchable members, particularly when the teeth of such members are made from a rigid plastics or metallic material typically found in zip fasteners. Accordingly, no more of rows 5 can be fed into slider 11 and the opening 8 for gaining access to the contents of an item enclosed by zip fastener 10 remains too narrow.

With reference to FIG. 3, there is provided a cross-sectional view of examples of the configurations (I to IV) that the slider according to the present invention may adopt. FIG. 3 (configuration 1) shows a tape 2 possessing rows 5 of inter-latched teeth (not shown). Slider 11 possesses lateral blocking members 12 with internal wall surface 13, which define a space 14. When the rows 5 are pulled apart and rows 4 (refer FIG. 2) begin to move into space 14, internal wall surfaces 13 act to block or restrict the entry of the unlatched members of rows 4. Slider 11 thus becomes jammed on a row 5 and an opening of a significant size cannot form in the zip fastener.

At FIG. 3 (configuration 11), there is shown a particularly preferred embodiment of the invention where an angle a is defined between slider 10 and lateral blocking member 11. As indicated above, angles from 40° to 60° are preferred. An angle a of 45° is depicted at FIG. 3 (configuration 11).

With reference to FIG. 4, there is provided a plan view (V to VIII) of examples of configurations that the slider according to the present invention may adopt. The configurations are drawn so that it is clear how the sliders may interact with one another when coming into a position in use to close a zip fastener (as represented by arrows). It will be noted from configuration VIII, that the sliders of the present invention can be adapted to work in conjunction with a known slider not possessing a lateral blocking member. 

1. A slider for opening and closing a zip fastener which comprises a pair of opposing tracks bearing inter-latchable members, the slider being adapted for locking with a second slider when the zip fastener is in a substantially closed position, the slider comprising one or more lateral blocking members, wherein in a locked position with a second slider, the one or more lateral blocking members provide a physical barrier to restrict or prevent lateral opening of the zip fastener.
 2. The slider according to claim 1, wherein the slider comprises a single lateral blocking member which extends laterally from the slider.
 3. The slider according to claim 1, wherein the slider comprises two lateral blocking members extending laterally from the slider.
 4. The slider according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the slider possesses a leading end portion, wherein a lateral blocking member protrudes forward of the leading end portion in a leading direction, the leading direction corresponding to the direction of movement of the slider during the closing of the zip fastener.
 5. The slider according to claim 1, wherein the lateral blocking member is a plate.
 6. The slider according to claim 5, wherein the plate comprises a lip arranged perpendicular to an outer edge of the plate.
 7. The slider according to claim 5 or 6, wherein the plate is arranged in an angular orientation of angle (a) relative to the slider.
 8. The slider according to claim 7, wherein angle (a) is 30° to 60°.
 9. The slider according to claim 1, wherein the slider comprises a handle tab adapted for receiving a locking means.
 10. The slider according to claim 1, wherein the inter-latchable members comprise a hook and hollow arrangement.
 11. (canceled)
 12. (canceled)
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